1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data input device and method, and more specifically to a data input device for controlling a pointer operation in a data displaying picture to operate an electronic apparatus such as a personal computer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, when an electronic apparatus such as a personal computer is operated, a pointer or a cursor displayed on a data displaying picture is moved by use of a pointing device such as mouse, track ball, etc. Further, an object displayed on the picture is pointed by the pointer, and then a button is additionally operated to start a specific work or to move an object. The method as described above is referred to a GUI (graphical user interface), which is widely used as a method of operating a personal computer.
However, since the electronic apparatus has been small-sized more and more so as to be portable, in the future it is easily predicted that the conventional pointing device is not usable satisfactorily. For instance, when a mouse is used, since a place having a certain area is required, the mouse is not suitable for a portable electronic apparatus. On the other hand, in the case of a track ball or a small-sized joy stick, since the movement of the operator's hand differs from the movement of the pointer, these devices are not suitable when a gesture for designating a specific work is inputted. Further, when a pen device is used, since the pen must be taken out whenever used and thereby there exists a possibility of loss of the pen, the pen cannot be considered as the best method.
Now, as the data input method, Japanese Patent Application No. 7-250418 filled by the same Inventors discloses a finger pointing interface (FPI) such that light is allowed to be incident upon the operator's hand; the light reflected from the hand is detected as an image; and the pointer position is obtained by processing the image data. In this method, since the pointer movement can be controlled on the basis of the movement of the finger's motion; that is, since a part of the operator's body can be detected without use of any specific tool, when a pointer is operated as described above to input data to an electronic apparatus, there exists such a merit that the operability can be improved markedly in particular in the case of the portable data electronic apparatus.
In the case of the FPI, however, when a picture is operated, since the pointer is not operated on the basis of only the finger motion, but since the pointer operation is decided in combination with the button switch, there exists a limit of improvement of the operability. In other words, when the portable data apparatus is supported by the left hand and further the pointer is moved by the right hand, for instance, since the button must be depressed by the left hand at the same time, there exists a problem in that when the button is depressed by the left hand, the apparatus body is moved, so that a desired object on a picture cannot be pointed or whenever the button is depressed, the picture is moved, thus causing a problem in that the pointing operation is not easy.
On the other hand, in the case of the pointing device, although the position data can be inputted on the basis of contact or non-contact with a tablet, in order to add a specific operation other than positional data, it is necessary to provide a switch attached at top of the pen so as to be turned on when the pen is pushed against the tablet, or to dispose another switch in the pen body, so that there exists a problem in that it is difficult to improve the operability thereof decisively.
The same problem as above is prominent when a spacial mouse is used (in which the pointer is moved by a remote controller having a gyroscope or an infrared light emitting section). That is, when a significant operation is added to an object pointed by the pointer, since an additional operation parts such as another button or switch is inevitably needed, this causes a factor which obstructs an improvement of the operability of the electronic apparatus.
As described above, in the prior art data input device, as the means for inputting a specific operation other than the position data, since the mouse button or an inputting section corresponding to the mouse button is provided. In addition, since the button operation and the position data are both processed in connection with each other, there exists a problem in that the operation is complicated, in particular in the case of the portable data apparatus, with the result that the data input device is not suitable according to the sort of operation.